Embossing and vending apparatus



May 29 9 G. W. HEENE EMBOSSING AND VENDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 560 M/em ATTORNEY May 20 1924. 1,494,839

G. VV.P1EEJQE EMBOSSING AND VENDING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 16 1923 3 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR 5w M/we ATTORNEY May 20, 1924. 1,494,839

G. W. HEENE EMBOSSING AND VENDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY nisms on the outside of this case; in which the embossing dlies are easlly accessible wlth- Patented May '20, 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HEENE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

EMBOSSING AND VENDING APPARATUS.

Application filed February 16, 1923. serial'no. 619,342.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, GEORGE W. HEENE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Embossing and Vend ing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for embossing characters upon a blank and vending this blank.

'The main ob'ects of my invention are an eflicient embossing apparatus in which the operating mechanism is enclosedin a case; which has only the motive operating mechaout removing the embossing mechanisms from the case; in which the blank to be embossed is effectively embossing position; in which the delivery of the embossed blank is effected only after a new blank has been brought into emboss ing position; in which the completion-of one operation is assured before the next operation can begin; in which the blank handling mechanism operates smoothly to effect the proper insertion of the blank into the chuck; and in which the blank is effectively held against rotation during the embossing operation. Other objects will appear during the description of the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings.

I attain these objects by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of a case and the motive operating mechanism on the outside thereof; Fig. 2 is a section on a vertical plane indicated by the line 22 in Fig. 1 showing the type indexing mechanism and the telescopic shaft which permits of ready removal of the embossing dies; Fig. 3 is a general perspective view of the lower portion of the mechanism inside of the case; Fig. 4 is a section on a vertical plane indicated by the line 4 in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view of the safety mechanism as viewed at 5 in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the feed operating handle; Fig. 7 is an end View of the index guided into and out of indicated by the line 10-10 in Fig. 8; Fig.

-11 is a plan view of the index mechanism;

Fig. 12 is an end! view of the index mechan1sm as viewed at -12 in Figs. 8 or 11; Fig.

13 is a section, on a larger scale, on a horizontal plane indicated by the line 13 in Fig. 14; Fig. 14 is section, on a larger scale, on a vertical plane indicated by the line 14 in Flg. 8, Fig. 15 is a plan view of a blank adapted to be embossed by the apparatus shown.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views.

T e apparatus shown is intended to be used as a slot machine in which the deposit of a coin releases a mechanism which selec tively embosses characters upon a blank and delivers this blank after the embossing op-- eration is complete.

The embossing and delivering mechanisms are enclosed within the case A where they are secure against outside interference, by weather or otherwise.

The dial 1 is mounted on the outside of the front of the case A and is provided with all the letters of the alphabet, and with the numerals 1 to 9, and with a period, and with a blank for spacing between words.

The pointer 2, also on the outside of the case A, is -mounted! on the shaft 3 and is provided with the knob 4 and the nn nt 5.

The embossing handle B, also on the outside of the case A, is mounted on the embossing shaft 6; and the feed and delivery handle C, also on the outside of the case A, is mounted on the feed shaft 7.

The coin slot 8 communicates with the coin conveyer 9 which abuts the end of the coin lever 10 in such a manner that the coin 11 can travel in the conveyer only to this end of the lever 10 when theapparatus is in normal position.

The release knob 12 is secured to the lever 13 which is fulcrumed at 14, and the lower end'of which extends to the coin 11.

The operation of this apparatus as far as a slot machine is concerned and without going into details as to the internal mechanisms is asfollows: I

After the coin 11 is droppedinto the slot 8, push down the knob 12, thereby pushing the coin 11 to the left (as viewed in Fig. 1) and pushing the end of the lever 10 downward which operationreleases the interior mechanism as will be explained presently. The interior mechanism is now ready for operation to emboss any of the characters found onthe dial 1 on the outer blank space of the blank D shown in Fig. 15., This embossing is accomplished by rotating the pointer 2 until the point 5 thereof registers with whatever character is to be embossed on the blank; then rotate the handle Fright handedly (as viewed in Fig. 1); then repeat these operations until all of the desired characters are embossed on the blank; then rotate the handle C left handedly (as viewed in Fig. 1) as far as it will go which operation releases the embossed blank; then rotate the handle C right handedly as far as it will go which operation places a new blank in position for embossing and also ejects the embossed blank out through the delivery slot 16 and into the tray 17 from where the operator can readily take it.

The embossing dies 18 are mounted in the die head E and correspond, in numbers and characters thereon, to the characters on the dial.

The head E is secured to the shaft 19 by the key 20 and the shaft 19 is journaled in the base F and extends beyond the top of the die head E. The lower end of the sleeve 21 is permanently secured to the upper end of the shaft 19 by the rivet 22 while the upper end of the sleeve 21 is secured to the lower end of the shaft 23 by the removable taper pin 24. Near the upper end of the shaft 23 is the hole 25 adapted to the pin 24 to facilitate the removal of the head E which is accomplished by removing the pin 24, then sliding the sleeve 21 upward until the taper pin hole in the upper end of the sleeve registers with the hole 25, then inserting the pin 24 through the sleeve and this upper hole. The shaft 19 is thereby pulled out of the die head and leaves the same free to be readily taken from the apparatus for the purpose of inspection, repair, or otherwise.

The bevel gear 26 is secured to the upper end of the shaft 23 and meshes with the bevel gear 27 which is secured to the shaft 3 to which the pointer 2 is secured as pre-' viously stated.

It is noted that the relation of the pointer 2 on the shaft 3, and the gears, and the key 20, and the dies 18 are such that when the point 5 of the pointer 2 is brought to register with a certain character on the dial, the die. having the same character is brought into operative position for embossing.

The stud 28 and the bracket 29 su port the upper end of this structure and are mounted on the base F.

The hammer G operates in the usual manner and is hinged to the bracket 30 by the pin 31 at the rear end and is provided at the front end, with a peen adapted to strike the front ends of the dies individually and is also provided with the nose 32 for the aeeaaee purpose of operating the hammer as will appear presently. It is noted that the central portion ;,-of the hammer G is offset, in the present instance toward the left of the sleeve 21 as viewed in Fig. 3, so that the hammer can readily be removed from the apparatus by removing the cotter pin 33 from the pin 31 and slipping the hammer off of this pin 31.

This facility of removing the hammer, coupled with the telescopic shaft previously described. permits the ready removal of the die head E.

The embossing shaft 6 is journaled in the bearings 34 and 35 secured to the base F and the embossing arm 36 is secured to the shaft 6 and is provided, at its outer end, with a latch point 37 adapted to engage the nose 32 for upward movement thereof and to dissengage or pass this nose during the downward movement and so that a rotative movement of the shaft 6, righthandedly as viewed in Fig. 3, will cause the point 37 toengage the nose32 and move the front end of the hammer G upward until the end of this point 37, due to its arcuate movement, no longer engages this nose and permits the hammer to drop and strike the embossing die directly under it; and so that the rotative movement of the shaft 6 in opposite direction, returns the arm to its original position and the nose 32. a

While the shaft 6 is so rotated righthandedly and the hammer G is on its upward movement, the upper end of the arm 36 moves downward and the face 38 thereof contacts the roller 39 and pushes it outward.

permits the point 37 to pass The roller 39 is journaled in the lever 40 which is fulcrumed on the bearing 34 by the pin 41 and extends downward and contacts the lever 42. Consequently, this outward movement of the upper end of the lever 40 causes the lower end thereof to move in the opposite direction and pushes the end 43 of the lever 42 in the direction of the arrow.

The lever 42 is fulcrumed to the base F by the pin 44 and is provided with the latch point 45 adapted to engage and dissengage the teeth 46 on the chuck-case 47 in a manner well known in ratchet mechanisms. Consequently, this movement of the end 43 of the lever 42 causes the point 45 to engage one of the teeth 46 and rotate the chuck case one division.

While the hammer G is so moving upward and this upper end of the arm 36 is moving downward and the case 47 is rotated one division, the upper end of the lever 48, hinged to the bearing 35 by the pin '49, is forced outward by the cam effect of the end of the shaft 6 which has a portion cut away I at 50 where the upper end of the lever 48 rests when the apparatus is in normal position; on rotation of the shaft 6, this upper end of the lever 48 is forced outward and, consequently, the lower end 51 is forced inward against the end 52 of the lock pin 53 which is slidably mounted in the bracket 54 and is provided with the index point 55 adapted to enter the index notches 56 provided in the die head E and corresponding, in numbers and in relation, to the number of dies in the head.

The spring 57 is provided to normally hold the lock pin 53 out of engagement with the notches 56. By the time the shaft 6 is sufliciently rotated to release the engagement between the point 37 and the nose 32, the lever 42 will have indexed the chuck case and the point 55 will be firmly held in the respective notch 56 so that there is no possibility of any element to shift and emboss the characters in any but a proper manner. After the point 37 disengages the nose 32, the hammer G drops and strikes the respective die and embosses the respective characters upon the blank. After the point 37 reaches its uppermost position, the shaft 6 is rotated in opposite direction to bring the arm 36 back to its original position whereby the levers 40 and 42 and 48 and the pin 53 are also brought back to their original positions, aided by the spring 58, one end of which is secured to the end 43 of the lever 42 while the other end thereof is hooked over the pin 59 which is mounted on the base F.

This operation of the pointer 2 and the shaft 6 and its connecting mechanism is repeated until all of the desired characters are embossed upon the blank.

The embossed blank is ejected from the apparatus through the slot 16 by first rotatmg the shaft 7 lefthandedly, as viewed in Fig. 3, which operation gripsa new blank and releases the embossed one from the chuck; and by rotating this shaft 7 righthandedly which operation pushes the embossed blank off of the chuck and into the chute 60 which conveys the blank to and out through the delivery slot 16.

The shaft 7 is journaled in the bearings 61 and 62. The gear sector 63 is secured to the shaft 7 and engages the slide H which is mounted to slide longitudinally in the base F and is provided with gear teeth to engage the teeth on the sector 63 and with the anvil-cam 65 and with a collet-cam 66 on each side of this anvil-cam. The high point of the anvil-cam being located some distance toward the right as viewed in Fig. 8: the purpose whereof will appear presently. The screw pin 67 is threaded into the slide H, and extends upward, and is provided with a head countersunk into the delivery plate 68 which is slidably mounted on the base F and which is provided with the round ended slot 69 adapted to the circumferential contour of the blank.

Thehopper J is secured to the base F and has a tubular body adapted to the blanks'D diametrically and is made of sufficient height to accommodate any desired number of blanks. At the bottom, the hopper has the flange 70 which is provided with the slot 71 adapted to guide the blank in its travel from the hopper to the chuck.

The chuck for holding and releasing the blank, Figs. 13 and 14, has the chuck case 47 which is journaled in the base F and provided with the external shoulder 72 near the bottom thereof, and with the internal circular bevel surface 7 3. at the top thereof, and with the previously mentioned ratchet teeth 46.

The collet 74 has, at the to a conical head adapted to the'bevel sur ace 73 and, at the bottom, is externally threaded and internally provided with the circular bearing surface 75. This collet is otherwise split and arranged to act as a collet as is well known in the art and indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 14. I

The adjusting nut 76 is threaded to the externally threaded lower end of the collet 74 and fits, externally, into the lower end of the case 47. The slit 77 is cut into one portion of the nut 76 and the screw 78 intersects this slit and is threaded into the upper part of the slitted portion of the nut 76. The object thereof being to provide a means to bind the threads between the nut and collet to hold the nut in adjusted position.

The upper end of the anvil 79 fits loosely slidable into the collet 74 while the lower end thereof fits closely slidable into the bearing surface 75. In order to prevent tilting of the-anvil when the collet is opened to release the 'blank, the anvil should fit into the collet as closely as possible, and in order to prevent sticking of the anvil in the collet, the portions 80 are cut away so that the portions 81 bear closely on the surface 75 without undue bindingor friction between the anvil and the collet.

The coil compression spring 82 is introduced between the nut 76 and-the shoulder 83 on the case 47.

The blank D rests upon the top of the anvil and is gripped, circumferentially, by

the collet 74 as is usual in collet practice.-

movement of the slide first causes the cams 66 to contactthe bottom of the nut 7 6 and push the collet 74 upward and thereby release the blank and then causes the cam 65 to later contact the bottom of the anvil 79 and push the same upward thereby pushing the blank out of the top of the collet.

While the slide His moving as described, the pin 67 and consequently the plate 68 moves therewith in the same direction and the slot 69 thereof engages the lower one of. the blanks stored in the hopper and pushes it along in the channel 71 until-it contacts the blank now resting freely on the anvil and pushes this last mentioned.

blank off of the anvil and off of the chuck and into the chute 60 and deposits the first mentioned blank upon the anvil.

It is noted that the bottom of the plate 68, and the bottom of the slot 71, and the top of the chuck case 47 and its housing,

and the top of the collet when it is released I by the cam 66, and the top of the anvil when it is raised by the cam 65, are all in alignment with each other so that the blank to be inserted in the chuck, as well as the one leaving the chuck, will have an unobstructed path to prevent their tilting or in any other manner interfering with the operation of the apparatus; the cam 65 being slightly higher than the cams 66 to acc0m plish this feature.

lVhen the shaft 7 is rotated righthapdedly (as previously mentioned), the sector 63 returns to its original position and is aided in this movement by the tension spring 84 one end of which is hooked on to the base F while the other end is hooked over the pin 85 which is secured to the slide H. The tension of the spring 84 and the frictional relation between the gear teeth should be so arranged that the return of the slide does not cause sufiicient jar in the apparatus to dislodge the blank before the collet firmly grips the same.

While the cam rack so returns to its original position, the plate 68 also returns to its original position ready to engage the next blank, and the cam 65 first releases the anvil 79 and permits the same to drop down to its original surface, due to its own weight, and with the blank now deposited on the top thereof. Shortly after the anvil has so begun to drop, the cams 66 release the collet 7 4. At this point, the compression spring 82 forces the nut 76 and the collet 74 downward upon its original surface on the slide and closes the upper end of the collet against the outer circumference of the blank as is usual in collets. The re-action of the spring 82 on the face 83 tends to keep the face 7 2 of the chuck case 47 against the material of the base F. The newly forwarded blank is now firm ly held in the chuck as seen in Fig. 14.

In order to prevent displacement of the blanks .while they are conveyed, and to insure proper delivery of the blanks 01f of the chuck messes without wedging or other detrimental de- I 89 passes through the U bracket 91 which is mounted in the slot 92 provided in the lower end of the head 86 substantially at right angles to the slots 90. j The compression spring 93 is mounted in the opening 94 and the lower end thereof bears against thetop of the bracket 91 and tends to force the same downward and consequently force the roller 88 down upon the blank as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 14; thereby holding the blank upon the anvil at all times. The head 86 is partially cut away on the inside to permit the embossing dies and the hammer to operate.

The inclined surface 95 is provided to permit the blanks to properly drop off of the chuck after the same is pushed along as previously described. A blank in position to drop off of the chuck is shown in dotted hnes in Fig. 8 where it is seen that the blank is balanced on the edge 96 and is now held from dropping by the edge 97, a further movement of the incoming blank pushes the dropping blank awayfrom the edge 97 whereupon this blank will drop directly down into the chute 60 since it is guided in such drop by the surface 95 which acts as a sort of channel.

The gate L is fulcrumed on the pin 98 which is secured to the base F and extends forward and over the lower end of the chute 60 and extends backwards and is provided with the contact prong 99. The tension spring 100 is provided to normally hold the front end of the gate below the lower end of the chute to prevent a blank from leaving the chute until the proper time as will appear presently.

In order to insure the delivery of a new blank on the anvil before the previously embossed blank leaves the chute 60, a safety mechanism is provided on the end of the shaft 7. This mechanism consists of the ratchet sector 101 secured to the inner end of the shaft 7 in proper relation to the gear sector 63 and is provided with ratchet teeth and made sufficiently wide to permit the tion by the co-acting springs 104 and 105. With this safety device, the right handed rotation of the shaft 7 and consequent gripping of the chuck can not be effected untll the revious left handed rotation of the shaft 7 has been completed and a new blank placed over the anvil. The width of the pawl, circumferentially, along the teeth, is just sufficient to permit the point of the pawl to run off at the ends of the ratchet sector when the shaft 7 is in either of its extreme rotated positions. If the right handed rotation of the shaft 7 was attempted before the previous left handed rotation was complete, the point of the awl 102 would engage one of the teeth on t e sector and prevent right handed rotation.

The inner end of the lever 10 is pushed downward by the coin, as previously, described, to unlock the embossing and feed mechanisms.

This lever 10 is fulcrumed on the bearing 106 by the pin 107 and extends forward and hooks over one edge of the yoke 108 and normally holds the same in the position shown in Fig. 3. One end of the rod 109 is rigidly secured to the yoke 108 and the other end fits slidably into the bearing 106.

The compression spring 110 is mounted over the rod 109 and one end thereof abuts the bearing 106 while the other end abuts the collar 111 which is secured to the rod 109. The spring always exerts a pressure forward on the yoke 108 through the rod 109 and pushes the yoke forward when the mechanism is unlocked by raising the end 112 of the lever 10 actuated by the coin as previously described.

The collars 113 and 114 are splined to and slide upon the shafts 6 and 7 respectively and are provided with the grooves 115 and .116 respectively and also with the holes 117 and 118 respectively.

The ends of the yoke 108 engage the grooves 115 and 116 so that a movement of the yoke also moves both of the collars.

The dog M is hinged to the yoke 108 by the pin 119 and the body thereof is formed as a wedge having the inclined face 120 which is partially beveled at 121 for the purpose appearing presently.

The hubs of the handles B and C are substantially alike and fit over the ends of the shafts 6 and 7rrespectively, the screw 122 is threaded into each hub and each screw has the pilot 123 which enters the grooves 134 and 135, respectively, of the shafts 6 and 7, so that the handles can, normally, rotate freely on these shafts but are prevented from sliding endwise thereon as long as the screws 122 are in position and the pilots 123 are in their respective grooves.

The distance of the screw 122 from the end of the hub is made so that when the pilot 123 is in its groove the outer ends of the drivin pins 124 clear the outer faces of the col ars 113 and 114 so that both handles can rotate on the shafts when the mechanism is locked by the lever 10.

The driving pins 124 are provided in the faces of both hubs and project some distance out therefrom and are adapted to the holes 117 and 118 so that when the mechamsm is unlocked by the lever 10, and the spring 110 moves the yoke 108 forward, the collars 113 and 114 also slide forward on their respective shafts and splines, and the driving pins 124 (held against longitudinal movement) enter the holes 117 and 118 and either of the shafts 6 or 7 can then be rotated by manipulation of its respective handle.

The handle C, Fig. 6, is also providedwith the peg 125 which engages the upper side of the prong 99 to close the gate L when the handle G is rotated left handedly to its limit at which time the discharge of the blank into the chute and the gripping of a new blank by the chuck has been completed.

The handle C is further provided with the peg 126 which has the beveled face 127 adapted to contact the beveled face 121 of the dog M so that, upon left handed rotation of the handle 0, the peg 126 pushes the lower end of the dog M upward (hinged on pm 119) and out of the way, but, upon right handed rotation of the handle 0, the side 128 of the peg 126 contacts the inclined face 120 and pushes the yoke 108 backwards sufficiently far to permit the end 112 of the lever 10 to snap down over the yoke 108, alded by the spring N, and lock the mechanism. The faces on the peg 126 and on the dog M being soarra-nged that the locking of the mechanism is effected just previous to the opening of the gate L when the handle 0 is in its extreme right handed end of its travel.

The handle C is further provided with the peg 129 which contacts the end of the stop pin 130 which is'threaded into the bracket 131 to provide adjustment for adjusting the amount of right handed rotation of the handle 0.

The handle G is further provided with the peg 132 which contacts the end of the stop pin 133 which is threaded into the bracket 131 to provide adjustment for adjusting the amount of left handed rotation of the handle C.

These adjustments of the stop pins 130 and 133 permits the adjustment of the rotation of the shafts 6 and 7 so that all mechanisms operated .by these shafts perform their respective functions in proper successive order and the safety device on the shaft 7 permits rotation thereof only after the previous rotation thereof has been completed.

Generally speaking, the operation of the entire apparatus is as follows: The die head is selectively indexed by the pointer 2. The coin acted upon by the lever 13 moves the lever 10 out of locking engagement with the yoke 108 and thereby permits the sprlng 110 to move the collars 113 and 114 into operative position with the handles B and C and thereby permits the embossing and feed and delivery mechanisms to become operative. The right handed rotation of the shaft 6 raises the hammer G and permits it to drop upon the dies and also indexes the chuck and locks the die head in indexed position during this right handed rotation. The left handed rotation of the shaft 6 releases the index lock of the die head and provides for the next indexing of the chuck. The left handed rotation of the shaft 7 releases the embossed blank from the chuck and takes a new blank from the hopper and pushes it toward thechuck, thereby pushing this released blank off of the chuck 1nto the chute and depositing this new blank upon the anvil in the chuck and closes the gate. The right handed rotation of the shaft 7 closes the collet in the chuck and grips the new blank and moves the collars 113 and 114 out of operatiie engagement with the handles B and C and moves the yoke 108 into locking engagement with the lever 10 and thereby renders the embossing and feed and delivery mechanisms inoperative and opens the grate for the final delivery of the embossed blank outside of the case only after all other operations are complete so that an operator mustput the apparatus in condition for operation on the next blank before he can receive the previously embossed blank.

Having described my inventlon as embodied in the mechanism shown in the drawings:

I claim:

1. An apparatus of the character described having a case, a dial on the outside of said case, a pointer over said dial and secured to a shaft extending into said case, embossing dies mounted in a die head inside of said case, a second shaft operatively connected to the first said shaft and to said diehead, and a hammer for said dies hinged at one end and extending over said die head and adapted to strike said dies with the other end and the central portions thereof offset to one side of the second said shaft to permit ready removal of said die head.

2. An apparatus of the character described having, a case, a dial on the outside of said case, a pointer over said dial and secured to a shaft extending into said case, an embossing die head in said case, a telescopic shaft composed of anupper stub operatlvely connected with the first said shaft and of a lower stub splined to said die head and of a connecting tube having one aeaeee the other end thereof secured -to said upper stub by a removable pin.

3.- An apparatus of the character described having, a case, a dial on the outside of said case, a pointer over said dial and secured to a shaft extending into said case, embossing dies mounted in a die head inside of said case, a telescopic shaft composed of an 11 per stub operatively connected with the irst said shaft and of a lower stub splined to said die head and of a connecting tube having one end thereof secured to said lower stub and the other end thereof secured to said upper stub by a removable pin, and a hammer for said dies hinged at one end and extending over said die head and adapted to strike said dies with the other end and the central portion thereof offset to one side of said telescopic shaft to permit ready removal of said die head.

4;. An apparatus of the character described having, a die head and an indexing means operatively connected with said die head by a telescopic shaft comprising a lower stub splined to said die head, an upper stub operatively connected with said indexing means and provided with a hole near the upper end thereof, and a sleeve adapted to slide over said upper stub and having the bottom thereof permanently secured to the upper end of said lower stub and the top thereof temporarily secured to the lower end of said upper stub by a removable pin adapted to engage said hole to hold said sleeve in position when the same is moved up over said upper stub.

5. An apparatus of the character de' scribed having, embossing dies mounted in a die head journaled in said apparatus and rotated by a shaft, and a hammer having one end thereof pivoted to said apparatus and the other end thereof free of travel vertically to strike said dies, said pivot and said other end of the hammer disposed diametrically opposite of said die head, and the middle portion of said hammer CUIWGtl outward to clear said shaft and to permit said hammer to be readily moved out of the way for the purpose of access to said dies.

6. An apparatus of the character dcscribed having, embossing dies mounted in a die head, an indexing means operatively connected with said die head by a shaft extending above said die head, a hammer for striking said dies and having one end thereof pivoted to said apparatus and the other end thereof free to move vertically. said pivot and said other'end of the hammer disposed diametrically opposite of said die head, the middle portion of said hammer curved outward to clear said shaft. means for raising said free end of the hammer, and means on said hammer raising means for automatically releaslng said free end of scopic shaft extending the hammer when the same. is raised to desired height.

7. An apparatus of the character described having, embossing dies mounted in a die head, a die indexing means operative ly connected with said die head by a teleabove said die head, and a hammer for operating said dies located at one side ofsaid telescopic shaft.

8. An embossing mechanism comprising, a base, an upright shaft journaled in said base, a die head mounted on said shaft, embossing dies mounted in said die head, an embossing shaft journaled in said base at one side of said upright shaft, a hammer hinged to said base at one end thereof and adapted to strike said dies with the other end thereof and the central portion thereof offset and located on the other side of said upright shaft, and an embossing arm secured to said embossing shaft and adapted to raise and release the striking end of said hammer.

9. An embossing and indexing mechanism comprising, a base, an upright shaft journaled in said base, a die head mounted on said upright shaft and provided with index notches, embossing dies mounted in said die head, an embossing shaft journaled in said base and provided with a cam on one end thereof, a hammer hinged to said base at one end thereof and adapted to strike said dies with the other end thereof, an embossing arm secured to said embossing shaft and adapted to raise and release the striking end of said hammer, a lever fulcrumed on said base and one end thereof engaging said cam, an index pin contacting the other end of said lever and engaging said index notches when said hammer is raised.

10. In a selective die embossing mechanism, the combination of, a chuck to hold a blank to be embossed, a selectively indexable die head provided with embossing dies, a hammer to strike said dies, means for raising said hammer, means for indexing said chuck while said hammer is being raised, means for locking said die head in indexed position while said hammer is being raised, said hammer raising means permitting said hammer to drop while said die head is locked.

11. In a blank feeding mechanism for embossing machines, the combination of, a chuck, a hopper to hold blanks adjacent said chuck, a reciprocative slide adapted .to open said chuck and to take one of said blanks from said hopper and deposit the same on said chuck during the movement of the slide in one direction and to close said chuck and engage a new blank from said hopper after said blank has been deposited on the chuck during the movement of the slide in the opposite direction, and means operatively connected with said slide to prevent the commeneement of said opposite movement before the completion of said one movement.

12 In a blank feeding mechanism for embossing machines, the combination of, a chuck. a hopper to hold blanks adjacent said chuck, a slide adapted to open said chuck and take one of said blanks from said hopper and deposit the same on said chuck and to close sald chuck after said blank has been deposited thereon, and means operatively connected with said-slide to prevent a chuck closing movement of the slide before said blank taken from said hopper is deposited on said chuck.

13. In an embossing mechanism, the combination of, a chuck, a hopper to hold blanks, and a feed mechanism to feed said blanksunto said chuck, with a safety device operatively connected with said feed mechanism and adapted to prevent a chuck closmg operation thereof before a new blank has been deposited thereon from said hopper.

14. In an embossing mechanism, the com bination of, a chuck, a hopper to hold blanks, a feed mechanism to feed said blanks into said chuck, and a shaft operating said feed mechanism, with a safety device to prevent an operation thereof resulting in the closing of said chuck before a new blank has been deposited thereon from said hopper which device is composed of a ratchet sector mounted on said shaft. a pawl hinged 1n operative relation to said sector and engaging the teeth thereon, and an equalizing spring on each side of said pawl to hold the same in neutral position.

15. In an embossing mechanism, the combination of, a feed mechanism and means for operating the same, with a chuck to hold a blank to be embossed and composed of a case, a collet in said case and adapted to grip the outer edge of said blank, an anvil in said collet and adapted to support said blank, the lower end of said anvil provided with a plurality of raised bearing surfaces fitting closely into said collet, an adjusting nut threaded to the lower end of said collet, a compression spring abutting on said case and acting on said collet to close said chuck, a pair of cams operated by said feed mechanism and engaging said nut to open said chuck, and a cam intermediate and back of said pair of cams and operated by said feed mechanism and engaging said anvil to push the same upward and eject said blank from said chuck.

16. A chuck for holding a blank in an embossing machine, comprising, a case, a collet in said case and adapted to grip the outer edge of said blank, an anvil in said collet and adapted to support said blank. the lower end of said anvil provided with a plurality of raised bearing surfaces fitting closely into said collet, an adjusting nut threaded to the lower end of said collet, a compression spring abutting on said case and acting on said collet to close said chuck, mcarts acting on said nut to open said chuck, and means acting on said anvil after the first said means has acted on said nut to force said anvil upward and eject said blank from said chuck.

17. In an embossing mechanism, the combination of, a chuck adapted to hold and to release blanks to be embossed, a feed mechanism adapted to feed said blanks into embossing position and having a slide adapted to open and close said chuck and to feed said blanks into said chuck and provided with a rack of teeth, an operating shaft for said feed mechanism, a gear sector secured to said shaft and provided with teeth meshing with said teeth on said slide, a spring normally moving said slide to one end of the stroke thereof to close said chuck and to permit said slide to engage one of said blanks, means for rotating said shaft to move said slide to the other end of the stroke thereof to open said chuck and to deposit said engaged blank thereon, and means for preventing said spring from moving said slide to said one end of the stroke thereof before the same has completed the full stroke to said other end thereof.

18. In an embossing mechanism, the combination of, a chuck, a hopper to. hold blanks. a feed mechanism having a slide provided with a rack of teeth and with means toengage a blank, an operating shaft for said feed mechanism, a gear sector operated by said shaft and provided with teeth meshing with said teeth on said slide, and means for rotating said shaft in one direction to open said chuck and to deposit therein one of said blanks from said hopper and in the other direction to close said chuck and grip said blank.

19. In an embossing apparatus, the combination of, a die head provided with dies, means for indexing said die head, a hopper to hold blanks to be embossed, a chuck to grip and release said blanks, a feed mechanism adapted to open said chuck to release one of said blanks and to convey another of said blanks from said hopper to and over said chuck and to close said chuck and grip the last said blank after the next succeeding blank in said hopper has been engaged for conveyance to said chuck, an embossing hammer adapted to strike said dies, means for raising said hammer, means for indexing said chuck while said hammer is being raised, and means for locking said die head in indexed position when said hammer is raised.

20. In an embossing apparatus, the combination of, a 'die head provided with dies, means for indexing said die head, a hopper to hold blanks to be embossed, a chuck to neeaeao grip and release said blanks, a feed mechanism adapted to open said chuck to release one of said blanks and to convey another of said blanks from said hopper to and over said chuck and to close said chuck and grip the last said blank after the next succeeding blank in said hopper has been engaged for conveyance to said chuck, a safety device operatively connected to said feed mechanism to prevent said chuck from closing before said next succeeding blank has been engaged, an embossing hammer adapted to strike said dies, means for raising said hammer, means for indexing said chuck while said hammer is being raised, and means for locking said die head in indexed position when said hammer is raised.

21. In an embossing apparatus, the combination of, a base, a die head rotatably mounted on said base and provided with dies and with index notches, means for indexing said die head, a hopper to hold blanks to be embossed, a rotatable chuck provided with indexing teeth and adapted to grip and release said blanks, a feed slide mounted in said base and provided with means to engage said blanks and with cams to op erate said chuck and with a rack of teeth, a shaft journaled in said base to operate said feed slide, a gear sector secured to said shaft and provided with teeth in mesh with said rack of teeth on said slide, an embossing hammer adapted to strike said dies, an embossing shaft journaled in said base and provided with a cam, an embossing arm secured to said embossing shaft and adapted to raise said hammer, a chuck index lever fulcrumed on said base and one end thereof engaging said teeth on said chuck, an operating lever fulcrumed on said base and the upper end thereof actuated by one end of said embossing arm and the lower end thereof actuating said chuck index lover, a cam lever fulcrumed on said .base and the upper end thereof actuated by said cam on said embossing shaft, an index pin mounted in a case on said base and one end thereof provided with a point adapted to said index notches on said die head and the other end thereof contactin-g the lower end of said cam lever.

22. In an embossing apparatus, the combination of, embossing mechanism and feed mechanism for blanks to be embossed and a chuck, with a guard located above said chuck and provided with a roller slot and with a guide slot at right angles to and intersecting the roller slot, a roller bracket sildably mounted in said roller slot, a spring in said guard and bearing against said roller bracket, a roller in said roller bracket, and a shaft through said roller and said roller bracket and the ends thereof adapted to slide in said guide slot.

28. In an embossing apparatus, the combination of, embossing mechanism and feed mechanism forblanks to be embossed and a chuck for said blanks, with a guard located above said chuck and the outside thereof slightly smaller than said blanks, a roller resiliently mounted in said guard, and an inclined surface on the delivery side of said chuck to guide said blanks when the same are pushed ofi of said chuck.

24. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embosslng mech anism operated by a clutch, a feed and delivery mechanism operated by a clutch, both of said clutches operated by a yoke, means for locking said yoke to hold both of said clutches in inoperative position, coin controlled mechanism to release said yoke, means for moving both of said clutches into operative position, means for operatin said embossing mechanism independent 0 said feed and delivery mechanism, means for operating said feed mechanism independent of saidembossing mechanism, and means actuated by said feed operating means at the termination of this feed operation to operate said delivery mechanism. I

25. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embossing mechanism operated by a clutch, a feed and delivery mechanism operated by a clutch, both of said clutches operated b a yoke, means for locking said yoke to ho (1 both of said clutches in inoperative position, coin controlled mechanism to release said yoke, means for moving both of said clutches into operative position, a chuck adapted to be indexed, said embossing mechanism comprising a die head provided with dies and adapted to be indexed and an embossing hammer and means to index said chuck and means to ratus, the combination of, an embo lock said die head in indexed position all operated by one handle, said feed mechanism comprising a slide adapted to feed blanks into said chuck and open and close said chuck in timed relation with the feeding of said blanks thereinto, said delivery mechanism comprising a gate normally arresting the final delivery of said blanks and all of said feed and delivery mechanism operated by one handle and the delivery mechanism being operable only after the feed operation is com lete.

26. 11 an embossing and vending appassing mechanism actuated byan embossin shaft, clutch means for operating said em ossing shaft, a feed and delivery mechanism actuated by a feed shaft, clutch means for operating said feed shaft independent of sald embossing shaft, means for simultaneously moving both of said clutches into inoperative position, and means for simultaneously movmg both of said clutches into operative position.

27. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embossin mechanism operated through a clutch, a fee and delivery mechanism operated through a clutch independent of said embossing mecha nism, means for simultaneously moving both of said clutches into operative position, means for operating said feed and delivery mechanism independent of said embossing mechanism, means actuated by said operation of the feedmechanism for simultaneously moving both of said clutches into inoperative position at the termination of the operation of the delivery mechanism, and means for automatically locking both of said clutches in said inoperative position.

28. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embossing mechanism operated through a clutch, a feed and delivery mechanism operated through a clutch independent of said embossing mechanism, both of said clutches normally held in inoperative position, means actuated by a coin for simultaneously releasing both of said clutches to permit the operation of both of said mechanisms, and means actuated by said operation of the feed and delivery mechanism for returning said clutches to said inoperative position at the termination of said operation of the delivery mechanism.

29. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embossing mechanism, a feed and delivery mechanism, an operating shaft for each of said mechanisms, an operatin handle rotatable on the end of each 0 said shafts and confined longitudinally thereon, a clutch collar splined to each of said shafts and adapted to engage said handles thereon, a yoke connectin both of said collars, and means for moving said collars into and out of engagement with said handles.

30. In an embossing and vending apparatus, the combination of, an embossing mechanism, a feed and delivery mechanism, an operating shaft for each of said mechanisms, an operating handle rotatable on the end of each of said shafts and confined longitudinally thereon and provided with clutch engaging means, a clutch collar splined to each of said shafts and provided with means to engage said clutch engaging means on the handles, a yoke connecting both of said collars, a spring to move said yoke and said collars into engagement with said handles, a dog pivoted on said yoke, means on said feed and delivery operating handle to engage said dog and move said yoke and said collars out of engagement with said handles, and means for engaging said yoke to retain said collars in said out of engagement with the handles,

GEORGE w. HEENE. 

